There are moments in music when an album, a body of work, a collection of songs, whatever you want to categorize it as, speaks louder than the title of the project itself, especially 13 years later and across three different re-releases: the original album release in 2013, the Record Store Day exclusive release in 2022, and the 10th anniversary release in 2023.
Thirteen Years, Three Releases
This album is so beloved by fans of the band that many people will never forget the feelings the 10 songs that make up this project created. True fans of Citizen remember exactly where they were when they first heard Youth, the band’s second album, released on June 30, 2013.
There are moments in music when an album, a body of work, a collection of songs, whatever you want to categorize it as, speaks louder than the title of the project itself, especially 13 years later and across three different re-releases: the original album release in 2013, the Record Store Day exclusive release in 2022, and the 10th anniversary release in 2023.
From Toledo Beginnings To A Defining Sound
Citizen formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 2009, originally under the name Run Down. The band’s original lineup consisted of vocalist Mat Kerekes, guitarists Nick Hamm and Josh Coll, bassist Eric Hamm, and drummer Ben Russin.
After changing their name to Citizen and later relocating to Southeast Michigan, the band began carving out a sound that felt emotionally raw and deeply personal. That foundation, built through years of playing together and growing into their individual roles, would later become essential to the identity of Youth.
Not Pop Punk, Not Grunge—Just Youth
Youth is an album that reflected pain, rage, and all the spiteful emotions that come with losing oneself. It did not just make ripples in the emo and pop punk scene. It felt like a tsunami. The record was neither pop punk nor grunge. It simply stood on its own for 31 minutes. The emotion embedded in every track truly shines through, combined with the writing style of lead vocalist Mat Kerekes and lead guitarist Nick Hamm.
It did not just make ripples in the emo and pop punk scene. It felt like a tsunami.
How Kerekes And Hamm Wrote Toward Catharsis
Hamm spoke about that dynamic during a February 12, 2014 interview with Tony Shrum of New Noise magazine. When asked which song on Youth held the most personal meaning, Hamm pointed to “The Summer,” explaining that it represented the perfect balance between his writing style and Kerekes’ and captured the overall vibe the band was aiming for on the record.
He also took time to explain the contrast between their approaches to songwriting, describing his own style as more aggressive and rock influenced, while crediting Kerekes for his ability to write melodic and deeply sad songs. That contrast is easy to hear throughout Youth, and it is one of the reasons the album feels so emotionally layered.
Three Songs That Cut The Deepest
As much as Youth works as a complete body of work, certain songs stand taller because of how deeply they cut. “The Summer,” “The Night I Drove Alone,” and “Sleep” feel like emotional anchors of the album, each capturing a different shade of isolation, regret, and internal conflict. These songs do not rely on grand statements or dramatic turns. They live in the quiet moments, the uncomfortable thoughts, and the things left unsaid.
“The Summer”
“The Summer” carries a heavy sense of hindsight. There is a feeling of looking back at a time that once felt meaningful, only to realize how fleeting and fragile it really was. The lyrics feel reflective rather than angry, filled with the kind of sadness that comes from understanding something too late. There is a softness to the song that makes it hit harder. It feels like replaying memories you cannot change, knowing that the version of yourself who lived in that moment no longer exists.
“The Summer” carries a heavy sense of hindsight. The lyrics feel reflective rather than angry, filled with the kind of sadness that comes from understanding something too late.
“The Night I Drove Alone”
“The Night I Drove Alone,” on the other hand, feels immediate and overwhelming. From the opening line, there is no warm up. The song drops you straight into emotional free fall. The lyrics read like a confession, filled with desperation, self doubt, and an almost physical sense of isolation. Driving becomes more than just a setting. It becomes a metaphor for running, for overthinking, and for being trapped alone with your thoughts and having nowhere to put them. Kerekes’ delivery makes every line feel urgent, as if the words have been sitting in his chest for too long and finally need to escape.
“The Night I Drove Alone,” on the other hand, feels immediate and overwhelming. The lyrics read like a confession, filled with desperation, self doubt, and an almost physical sense of isolation.
“Sleep”
“Sleep” taps into a different kind of exhaustion. It feels heavy in a quieter, more internal way. The song captures the mental fatigue that comes with carrying unresolved emotions and pretending everything is fine when it clearly is not.
The lyrics feel worn down, almost defeated, as if rest is being chased not for comfort, but for escape. Kerekes’ vocals cut sharply through the instrumentation, creating a sense of tension that never fully resolves. “Sleep” does not offer relief. It sits with discomfort, making it one of the most honest portrayals of emotional burnout on the album.
“Sleep” taps into a different kind of exhaustion. The lyrics feel worn down, almost defeated, as if rest is being chased not for comfort, but for escape.
Writing, Delivery, And Impact
As any fan of music, especially within the alternative genre, knows, writing is a critical aspect of a band’s identity. Closely following that is the delivery and performance of the lyrics. Listening to Youth, especially through songs like these, the impact is immediate and lasting. The vocals never feel performative. They feel necessary.
A 2010s Memory That Froze Time
There was something special about being a teenager in the 2010s. Something was in the air during that time, something that even I, as a writer, struggle to fully capture in words.
I remember being on YouTube in 2013, watching Citizen perform “The Night I Drove Alone” during their Warped Tour set in Vegas. Time felt like it stood still as I watched the veins bulge out of Mat Kerekes’ neck. In that moment, you saw everything. The pain behind the song, the emotional weight, and the pride of having thousands of fans screaming every lyric at the top of their lungs.
Minimalist Artwork, Maximal Feeling
It was then that I fully understood how much of a masterpiece Youth truly is. The album arrived at a time when alternative music needed a savior. It needed a project that could recalibrate the direction of the genre, and Youth did exactly that. The collection of songs radiated detachment. Even the artwork, with the word “Youth” spelled out in multicolored flowers against a white background, speaks to the minimalist nature and simplicity of the alternative and pop punk scene and its fan base.
It needed a project that could recalibrate the direction of the genre, and Youth did exactly that. The collection of songs radiated detachment. Even the artwork, with the word “Youth” spelled out in multicolored flowers against a white background, speaks to the minimalist nature and simplicity of the alternative and pop punk scene and its fan base.
Why Youth Still Resonates
More than a decade later, Youth remains a reference point for emotional honesty in alternative music. At a time when vulnerability can often feel performative or overly polished, the album continues to stand out for how unfiltered and sincere it feels.
There is no posturing or emotional distance on Youth. Every lyric feels lived in, and every vocal delivery feels necessary. That honesty is why the album still resonates with longtime fans and continues to connect with younger listeners discovering it for the first time. Youth does not tell you how to feel. It allows you to sit with discomfort, confusion, and self doubt, and that level of emotional truth is what has kept the album timeless.
A Staple That Opened Doors
Youth is one of those projects that arrived at exactly the right moment and had every element working in its favor. Many bands can do everything right, touring properly and releasing music at the right time, but few receive the level of fan appreciation that Citizen did with this record. That appreciation allowed the albums that followed to be received with open arms.
Every band has a staple project, and Citizen was never afraid of being themselves. That authenticity is what alternative and pop punk fans appreciate most. The screaming angst acts like a signal to anyone who grew up during that era. It gives you something permanent, something you can always return to, press play on, and be transported back to a feeling.
That is why Youth will always be a masterpiece to Citizen’s true fan base.